The applicant has considered various commercially available lit balls and finds no patented products on the market. In a search of the patented prior art the applicant has found six patents which offer pertinency to the field of examination. These patents include a patent to Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 1,641,144; Blaemy, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,139; Newcom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,649; Newcom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,055; Pennisi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,158; and Newcom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,776.
The patents to Blaemy and Adams do not disclose sources of light housed within the ball but do present single surfaced molded balls.
The patent to Pennisi includes a single surface ball with a plurality of light holes with light emitting particles or pellets contained therein. This reference also indicates that a light stick may be placed in the ball.
The patent to Newcom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,055 provides a diametrically arranged hole for receiving a light stick but this ball is not hollow.
The patent to Newcom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,649 includes a play ball of translucent material with a light stick but in this case the ball is inflatable rather than being of a preformed or molded shape.
The last patent to Newcom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,776 provides a WIFFLE BALL (Trademark) which houses a light stick but in this device the light stick is housed in a light ring which is frictionally held to the interior of the ball and the ring is inserted into the ball through one of the various apertures normally found on a WIFFLE BALL.
Applicant has considered these various structures and believes that the techniques he utilizes for insertion and retention of the light sources in his balls substantially reduces the comparable cost of the resulting device and has found that the added weight of the light source element does not substantially interfere with the play aspect of the unit.
It is therefore an object of the applicant's invention to provide a toy ball of any of several characteristics and known shapes which is hollow and has a transparent or light transmitting skin such that a chemical light source inserted or retained therein will transmit light through the skin of the ball to increase play effect.
It is a further object of the applicant's invention to provide a toy ball of single skin construction whereby an opening therethrough provided with a resilient door member will allow placement of a chemilluminescent light source into the hollow interior of the ball and similarly allow removal thereof after exhaustion of the light source with the flap or hinge or door element of the ball being normally aligned with the adjacent surface of the ball.
It is still a further object of the applicant's invention to provide a toy ball of a single skin hollow construction wherein retaining flaps are provided directly in the skin surface of the ball and the flaps will coact against the housing of a chemillulminescent light source placed therein while holding the light source in substantial alignment with the adjacent surface of the ball.
These and other objects and advantages of the applicant's invention will more fully appear from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and description.